Shannon Rowbury's Basic Core Routine

Eight exercises for general strength

Friday, July 22, 2011, 12:00 am

For nearly all of us, the best way to get faster is to train more or train harder. But what's the best way to be able to train more, or to do more of your current mileage harder? The answer is almost always to build a body that's more resistant to injury. You can do that with a few brief sessions each week devoted to increasing the strength and mobility of your midsection.

Join Olympian and world championships medalist Shannon Rowbury for a run-through of an effective insurance policy against injury.

Like almost all modern elite runners, Shannon Rowbury does more than just run. She and her peers consider general strength work to be an integral part of their preparation for peak performance.

Their rationale is simple: By doing exercises that strengthen their core and improve their midsection mobility, they can better hold up to the stresses of running. Their form is less likely to deteriorate as they tire, meaning both that they can train harder overall with less risk of injury, and that they can run powerfully through the finish of a race or a hard workout.

Most non-elite runners benefit from this general strength work at least as much as elites do. That's because most of us spend our days sitting, driving, hunched over a keyboard and otherwise rarely moving through wide ranges of motion. As a result, when we run, we tend to do so with inhibited form, which limits our ability to make use of our fitness and increases our likelihood of injury. By doing exercises like the ones demonstrated by Rowbury on the following pages, we can undo many of the negative effects of how we spend our nonrunning time. And that will allow us to run longer and harder before we break down, and we'll simply enjoy our running more.

Do this group of exercises two to three times a week. After a run is ideal, but not necessary. If doing them at a different time of day will increase the likelihood that you'll perform the excercises more often, have at them then.

EXERCISE NO. 1: Donkey Kicks

Start in table position, with your knees and palms on the ground. Keep a 90-degree angle in your knee and foot. Using your butt muscles and hamstrings, drive your leg backward and upward. Keep your foot dorsiflexed (toes pointing toward your shin). Do 10 reps on that leg, then switch legs and do 10 reps on the other leg.

EXERCISE NO. 2: Leg Whips

Start in table position, with your knees and palms on the ground. Raise one leg outward so that your thigh is parallel to the ground. Keep that thigh both parallel and stationary. Leading with your heel, whip your foot toward your shoulder. The movement should be only in your lower leg. Do 10 reps on that leg, then switch legs and do 10 reps on the other leg.

EXERCISE NO. 3: Scissor Kicks

Lie on your back. Lift your hips up in the air and support your lower back with your hands. Keep your back as straight as possible. Open your legs into a split position, then alternate. Make sure that you use a full range of motion, meaning that your legs go behind your head as well as forward. Start with 30 seconds of the exercise. As you become more familiar with it, increase to 1 minute.

EXERCISE NO. 4: Hurdle Walkovers Alternate Lead Leg

Line up six to 10 hurdles rail to rail; the hurdles' height should be a few inches less than your inseam. For your lead leg, lead with your knee so that your leg comes up before your foot goes out over the hurdle. Make sure your foot is dorsiflexed (toes pointing toward shin). Your trail leg should be in an "L" position, with your knee higher than your ankle at all times. Keep the foot of the trail leg dorsiflexed. Do three sets of walkovers over the flight of hurdles.

EXERCISE NO. 5: Over/Under Hurdles

Line up six to 10 hurdles rail to rail. Raise every other hurdle so that it's higher than your waist. Begin with a hurdle walkover on the low hurdle, as in exercise #4. As you step over the low hurdle, bring your trail leg under the tall hurdle. While turned to the side, drop into a full squat under the tall hurdle, keeping your back straight and your head upright. Once through, immediately drive into the next low hurdle. Do three sets of over/unders through the flight of hurdles.

EXERCISE NO. 6: Leg Lifts Abs

Lie on the ground with your legs at a 90-degree angle to the ground. Compress your back to the ground. Lower your legs to just above the ground, hold for 2 seconds, then return to the starting position. Start with 10 reps. As you become more familiar with the exercise, increase to 20.

EXERCISE NO. 7: Bicycle Abs

Lie on the ground with your hands behind your head. Keep your thighs perpendicular to the ground and your knees at a 90-degree angle. Bring your left elbow to your right knee and straighten your left leg, holding it just above the ground. Then alternate. Start with 30 seconds of the exercise. As you become more familiar with it, increase to 1 minute.

EXERCISE NO. 8: Back Hypers

Lie on your stomach with your hands behind your head. Using your lower back, lift your upper torso. Keep your thighs on the ground. Hold this position in the air for 2 seconds. Return to the starting position and repeat. Start with 10 reps. As you become more familiar with the exercise, increase to 20.